Monday, September 21, 2015

WHY ARE THOSE WHO LACK FAITH SO SMALL MINDED WHEN IT COMES TO HUMBLE PEOPLE'S MIRACLES?

This is a miracle and I kid you not. Just as I pulled up in my computer to type this post on miracles, there is a segment on CBS This Morning on the Emmy's last night. A black woman who won a Emmy was being interviewed about her win. She said this which I paraphrase:

"I grew up in abject poverty and for me to be here tonight and to have won this Emmy is a miracle just as a seed grows into an apple tree and makes apples is a miracle!"

What a perfect example our Lord sent me to help the poor soul commenting on my miracle in Naples given to me by Saint Januarius two years ago. He or she, I presume a he, does not believe Saint Januarius gave me a miracle. He says that it was only a coincidence that I tripped over a protrusion on the sidewalk that sent a tremendous shock from my foot to my knee to dislodge a stuck meniscus in my knee causing me great discomfort and pain when walking, especially down hill.

He thinks that I simply walked into the protrusion and tripped and that Saint Januarius didn't orchestrate it.His incredulity reminds me of our most judgement pope ever, Pope Francis who set up a smoke screen about his judgementalness with that very true statement about a homosexual who was trying to live a chaste life (who am I to judge) who then has judged academics in the Church as lacking faith and thwarting the simple and humble like me from believing that God or saints can act in our lives to improve them and that these saints even have a sense of humor in doing so!

Pope Francis is with the poor and humble like me and would commend me for seeking Saint Januarius' intervention in healing my knee and of seeing this saint as my good buddy. Pope Francis would judge as lacking in faith anyone who would question these simple miracles and healing a knee by sending someone directly to a protrusion in the sidewalk that would cause me to trip but also send a jolt to my knee to correct the problem, as being severely malformed in the Catholic faith and her devotional life and the miracles that occur daily by the grace of God in the humble lives of true believers.

Pope Francis judges academics for creating scenarios that cause the Faithful to leave the practice of the faith when sterile academics replace authentic faith and destroy the sense of mystery, wonder and awe at how God acts in our lives daily as well as His saints!

What a great description of the two types of miracles described by the actress in my introduction above and which I just found by a miracle of God on the internet to describe the Catholic attitude towards miracles:

Saint Augustine taught something to the effect that many
spectacular ordinary events would be deemed miracles if they occurred
but rarely in history. I think he gave the example of a sunrise. In
saying this, he was attempting to lift the minds of his flock to
contemplate the wisdom and power of the Creator, who does unfathomably
great things continuously in the order of nature, but especially in the
order of grace. “The conversion of one sinner,” the holy doctor said,
“is a greater act of omnipotence than the creation of the universe.”

A miracle, therefore, must be either preternatural or supernatural. A
miracle of grace, such as a sudden conversion of a notoriously evil
man, would be a supernatural miracle because, even though the act of
conversion is invisible, it manifested by visible acts. All other
miracles are divine interferences with the physical laws of nature. They
are preternatural, which means beyond nature, and visible. Matters of
Faith, such as Our Lord’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament, is a
mystery, not a miracle, because the Reality is not visible to the human
eye.

The power for miracles can only come from God, but God can share this
power with His saints.

Miracles can be above the laws of nature: such
as the raising to life of a dead man. Jesus gave this kind of power to
His Apostles. Miracles can be contrary to the laws of nature, such as
Moses splitting the Red Sea or causing water to issue from a rock. The
sun dancing in the sky at Fatima, and not elsewhere, is contrary to the
laws of nature. Miracles can be independent of natural law, such as a
miraculous cure of a deaf man, or a blind man, or the physical cure of
any other affliction that is beyond the capacity for ordinary medicines
or treatments to effect. Sometimes these kinds of cures are contrary to
nature as well, such as a person with no pupil in his eye being able to
see.

Can evil people, or demons, work miracles? Only to a certain extent.
In the former case, the preternatural prodigy is done by demons through a
human instrument, such as the miracles of Pharaoh’s magicians. Our Lord
Himself quotes a certain group of those about to be damned as pleading
before Him, “But we have worked miracles in thy name.” When St. Joseph
Cupertino levitated off the floor, it was not the angels lifting him up,
but the angelic purity of his own soul rapt in ecstasy with God and
putting gravity to naught. When medicine doctors in pagan lands levitate
off the ground it is a demon doing the lifting.

Apparitions are different than miracles. The person viewing the
apparition with the human eye is seeing an angel or a departed soul, but
under a material human form, or they may be seeing a glorified body,
such as that of Our Blessed Mother, who has come to her children in
countless apparitions. But these visions are not necessarily miraculous
for the one receiving them, unless a person in the same place could not
see the apparition. Bi-locations, on the other hand, are certainly
miraculous, as they are contrary to nature.

Yes, my miracle in Naples was a miracle and it was for me and for those who through the eyes of Faith, meek and humble, appreciate this miracle and encourage them to live a life of devotion and miracles. It is a part of the Church of the poor of which Pope Francis prays! I am happy to be a part of that Church of Miracles which our non judgmental pope judges as the best Church in the world.

48 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Father...really? Who really cares what small-minded, pea-sized brained people think? You, God and Saint Januarius know that you experienced a miracle. Personally, as a person of faith, I believe you did, too! People are going to say and do whatever to try and diminish, or completely ruin, something so important to you. In a way, I see a connection here to yesterday's first reading from Wisdom. To these small-minded, non-believers, you are "obnoxious," as the reading, yesterday, says.

If there are no miracles, then our faith is in vain. That's why the modernists love rationalism -- it tears down the entire edifice of our religion and turns it into a let's-do-good-works-so-we-can-feel-better-about-ourselves club.

It is inappropriate for someone, especially a priest, to claim publicly that he has been granted a miraculous healing. The veracity of such a claim does not rest on the person making the claim, no matter how humble and simple (!) he claims to be, but on the judgement of the Church, beginning with the claim-maker’s bishop. A celebrity claiming that his or her success is due to some “miracle” of God is about as credible as Hugh Hefner claiming his success was a sign of God’s supernatural intervention into his life.

A miracle sign or wonder, such as a healing or the control of nature, which can only be attributed to divine power. The miracles of Jesus were messianic signs of the presence of God’s kingdom.

Your stumble is easily attributed to purely natural causes. You have already admitted to being clumsy. “I tripped over a vacuum hose and twisted my knee, causing more inflammation.” And, “Once I got to Rome I slipped in on the bathroom floor…” And, “In Assisi I further twisted it going up an escalator from the parking lot…” You are obviously prone to stumbling and didn’t need St. Januarius or anyone else to make that happen.

It seems you also have weak spatial awareness. You don’t see what is plainly in front of you. You tripped over a vacuum hose and over a “protrusion” on the sidewalk in Italy. Plainly, you don’t look where you are going.

You say you knee “clicked with every motion.” This is a common symptom for a torn meniscus, also known as “popping.” A bit of torn tissue gets caught in the knee joint and as the joint moves the bit of torn tissue is forced, painfully, out of the way, resulting in a “click” or “pop.” The sudden jolt of yet another stumble moved the bit of tissue out of the joint where it stayed – for a while.

Your clumsiness, your poor spatial awareness, the broken pavement – all of these are purely natural causes which combined to alleviate, temporarily, the pain of a torn meniscus. Attributing what can easily have occurred from purely natural causes to Divine intervention via the intercession of St. Januarius is credulity.

We can believe anything we think is believable and which we choose to believe. In the case of "miracles", I think that very often people say they believe...pretend to believe in order to demonstrate their "faith", Believe it or not....it's up to you...

Fr. McDonald's "public claims to his 'miraculous' healing" are his own musings written on his personal blog. It's not like he's started some sort of Medjugorie-style prayer fest to drum up press for his miraculous healing.

Perhaps God made Fr. McDonald to be clumsy so that he could demonstrate the power of his saint, St. Januarius, to intercede for Fr. McDonald's healing.

Fr Mac has frequently cited the number of people who visit this blog. It is, by its nature, public. If he wanted the info to remain private, the story would have begun, "Dear Diary," not, "Dear World."

Making a claim to receiving a miraculous healing isn't a "musing," it is an assertion.

"Perhaps" God gave Eleanor Roosevelt wings so she could fly to visit the men on the battlefields of Europe, and no one every found out . . .

I can tell that it would really mean a lot to you to win this superfluous argument, so instead of continuing to bang my head against the wall otherwise known as your obtuseness, I'm going to stop here.

There have been scientists who have been converted when presented with something they can observe or validate but which transcends the bounds of our physical reality and knowledge such as the image on the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe which has not up to now been adequately explained as to how it was created. How has the cactus tilma the image is on survived intact for hundreds of years?

There are miracles known only to the recipient. Less than 70 miracles at such at the Shrine of Lourdes have been officially recognized as such. There is a rigorous process a physical healing goes through to determine if in fact something which cannot be explained has occured. Certainly many more have happened.Cures of a physical nature, the only type investigated at Lourdes (and also the only type accepted in the beatification or canonization process), because evidence of both the past and present condition can be presented.Even medical examiners whose approach is to exclude the possibility of miraculous healings are allowed to investigate.

Although the link below only lists 64 miracles, the count is now up to 69.

No saint ever performed a miracle through just an action on their part-they are only God's servants, human instruments by which because of their holiness and favor with the Almighty, a miracle is wrought by the Divine Power acting through them, and this due to God's Mercy and Love and redounding to His Glory.

Father, I firmly believe that you received a miracle. Many today cannot accept miracles. They do not believe in the power of God. Like Thomas, unless they see for themselves they will not believe and even if they saw for themselves many would still not believe. I also feel that some deny miracles that happen to others because of a strange form of jealousy, perhaps that God has favoured someone else rather than them. We don't know why God heals some and not others or grants favours to some but not others. Sometimes perhaps the miracle is given to strengthen one's faith. Some may not need their faith strengthened. Some may need to continue in their suffering to come closer to God. Only He knows.

When I was in Lourdes some years ago I washed my hands in the waters as pilgrims do. I had on the back of my hand a very painful ganglion at the time, which I had had for many many years. When I travelled to Fatima a few days later I happened to brush the back of my hand where the ganglion had been and found it had gone completely - no lump there. I didn't actually even pray for it but I had been complaining to my travelling companions how painful it was, pressing on a nerve and so the pain travelled up my arm and made it difficult to lug my bag. I believe that it was a miracle. It has never come back and I have never been troubled with pain since. Of course, Our Lady is a powerful intercessor on our behalf and I have received many small miracles through her intercession through the years - things which are simply unexplainable by normal means.

Although there are only about 69 authenticated miracles at Lourdes - as mentioned in George's post above - you can see loads and loads of crutches and plaques at Lourdes, which have been left by those claiming a miracle - many like mine probably too small to be authenticated by a doctor but evidence that miracles can and do happen - sometimes even when you don't ask for them. God is good!

Injuries heal, diseases are cured, even cancer can go into remission.That science is true around the world whether or not you're Catholic or even a believer.When good things happen to us, we're more likely to credit God because, of course, WE are special.But I read a skeptic's study once that argued that cancer remission rates were higher among those who hasn't visited Lourdes than among those who did.Make of that what you will, but I'm glad Father's knee is feeling better.

Enlightenment reason and science are our gods. All events and phenomena must be made to fit within the categories of the reason/science structure...anyone who claims that something does not is either a kook, a liar, or mentally disabled. Never mind how ridiculous so-called "reasonable" people become in their efforts to explain away supra-natural events.

Anyone who is cured of a disease or ailment, whether through medical science or other means, is cured by God. When good things happen to us, we must give the praise to God since whatever good happens comes from Him alone.

Calvin of Hippo, yes, some may be cured of cancer but the thing is that the 69 miraculous cures all have the unique quality that the cures happened to people who had visited to Lourdes, happening at the time or within days of the visit. Can you point to 69 other cures specifically attributed to one site or to one faith healer or one doctor even? I doubt it. In addition, although not officially recognised as miracles, over 7,000 people claim to have been cured from an illness after visiting Lourdes. Can you point to any other site where 7,000 people have claimed a cure? I doubt it.

Myself, I can attest to the fact that I went to Lourdes with a painful ganglion on the back of my hand that I had had for over 10 years. I washed my hands in the water and a day or so later the ganglion was gone, never to return. I have never suffered any pain since. I have a slight indentation on the back of my hand where the ganglion once was. I never reported that to anyone, so how many other people have had the same thing happen to them, perhaps small non-life threatening medical problems that have been cured there? Far more than the 7,000 cures reported I bet.

Calvin of Klein Kavanaugh, your cynicism is rich. Did you ever consider that people may credit God for the good things that happen to them because they are aware of themselves as sinners and totally undeserving of such grace...or, perhaps, their lives are more in step with God's will than are the lives of some priests I know and they are, therefore, humbly aware of God's actions in their lives...nah, couldn't be that.

Apologies to Calvin of Hippo as I should have in fact referred to Calvin of Klein. But I get the picture - someone obviously into men's under shorts and perfume certainly won't be believing in miracles - although he would need a miracle or two to look like the men in Klein's ads I'll wager!

Speaking of miracles, it would take that just to pass any pro-life legislation these days in the US Senate. Just saw online that the Senate could not even come up with 60 votes to advance the legislation (stop a filibuster). Only could get 54 votes for that. As usual, the Senate Democrats show how aligned they are with the abortion lobby---as has been the case the last 40 years. (All the legislation would have done is instituted a 20-week cutoff for abortions---99% of abortions occur before then---but apparently a 2o-week law was just too liberal for Senate Democrats. And I wonder how many of them say they are Catholic?!?!") Like I have said before, "we have met the enemy, and he is us---not liberal Episcopalians, not atheists---but wayward Catholics.")

So you accuse me of what you are doing, going public with something which is your own personal belief. Thanks for clearing that up as you have every right to do it, just make sure it's your own personal belief. My belief, which is personal and I have a right to proclaim it without fear of reprisal from higher authorities in the Church is that I had a miracle from Saint Januarius. I did, I believe it; but just as with the Church sanctioned apparitions, a Catholic doesn't have to accept it or believe it.

Just read these comments as a whole, yet we wonder why this society, this country seems so dysfunctional. At the top thin layer all may appear to be fine or "progressing" but I suspect we are rotting at the core and it is seeping to the surface. At some point "question everything" has turned into "ridicule everything" - a country cannot function with such behavior.

I hope Pope Francis sees the America we have turned into rather than the America that people with authority will escort him to.

Yes, you are utterly free to express your belief, no one is denying that. But your duty is to be consonant with the Church's doctrine, not your own personal "feelings" about what has happened to you. Your belief is not in accord with the Church's teaching on true miracles.

There have been over sixty authenticated cures at Lourdes and many, many more which could be considered miraculous, but which could not be verified by the rigorous process required to determine beyond a reasonable doubt if a miracle did in fact occur.

Jan:"Some may need to continue in their suffering to come closer to God. Only He knows."

Interestingly enough, Bernadette was not cured of the asthma she suffered throughout her life. She was not cured of the TB she contracted later in her life either.

Yes, George, St Bernadette suffered a lot and not just physical pain but the ridicule and ill treatment from the nuns in her own convent.

WBC, I don't happen to agree with you. The Pope is giving his own personal opinions on things all the time. Miracles are for a purpose to help people like you believe that there is a God who is all powerful. I hear priests speak about all sorts of things, golf, visiting people, etc. Very few ever express any belief in miracles. Miracles don't always happen in the same way either. Fr McDonald prayed to St Januarius and was cured of his knee problem - a miracle. It doesn't matter how it happened. St Bernadette dug in the mud as instructed by Our Lady to find the miraculous waters of Lourdes. God could easily have just caused the spring to gush forth without her doing that but He chose not to. Miracles sometimes happen in the most ordinary kind of ways but that doesn't make them any less miraculous. The thing I find gratifying is that Fr McDonald believes in miracles and is prepared to say so and he is also prepared to take the knocks that comes from believing in God and that He can and doees work wonders. Deo gratias!

If Fr Mac said, "I prayed to St. Januarius, then went to the doctor for knee surgery and now I am pain free - it's a miracle!" we'd all say, "No, it was the skill of the doctor."

If he said, "I prayed to St. Januaruius, then went to a Benny Hinn healing revival and now I am pain free- it's a miracle!" we'd all say, "No, you have been duped by a charlatan."

But when he says, "I prayed to St. Januarius, then clumsily tripped over a protrusion on the pavement, jolting my knee and causing the flap or torn meniscus to move and now I am pain free - it's a miracle!" some say, credulously, "Yes! Yes! A Miracle!"

A reasonable person, however, says, "No, miracles, such as healing or the control of nature, is that which can only be attributed to divine power. The movement of your meniscus flap is easily attributed to the sudden jolt you experienced when, not paying attention to where you were walking, you tripped."

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About Me

”The views expressed on this
social network are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my bishop or the Diocese of Savannah.” Comments that I post do not necessarily reflect my views or the views of the Bishop of the Diocese of Savannah.
I am a priest of the Diocese of Savannah ordained in 1980 at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. I am currently the pastor of Saint Anne Church in Richmond Hill, Georgia. I am the former Director of Vocations from 1986 to 1998 and former Director of Liturgy and Diocesan Master of Ceremonies from 1985 to 1991.